


Instant Messaging III 9/12: I Promise

by TheSaddleman



Series: Instant Messaging [7]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Duty of Care, F/M, Foreshadowing, Friendship, Psychic Paper, relationships, whouffaldi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-10
Updated: 2017-03-10
Packaged: 2018-10-02 08:32:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10213637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSaddleman/pseuds/TheSaddleman
Summary: It's been five weeks since the Doctor and Clara were last on an adventure and Clara tries to reach out to him using the psychic paper. Why has he benched her? Could it have to do with the fact she was nearly killed last time?





	

Doctor?

Hello, Doctor?

Where are you?

Doctor Doctor…

    … _give me the news_

     _I’ve got a bad something, something_

     _something something_

    …

     _Never mind. How are you, Clara?_

Finally!

Where have you been?

I haven’t heard from you in a month!

     _A month? Has it been that long?_

Yes, Doctor.

A month.

Four Wednesdays.

No wait, five. It’s March.

     _I’m so sorry, Clara._

     _I lost track of time._

Are you OK?

I asked Kate if she’d heard from you.

Nothing.

Googled for some unchecked disaster

or stars blowing up.

Nothing!

I’ve been worried.

     _Don’t be. I’m fine._

     _And you told me you needed time off._

Yes, I did.

But I only meant skipping

one Wednesday

so I could recover from, you know...

Not five!

     _I nearly got you killed, Clara._

No, Doctor, I nearly got me killed.

Not you.

I went into this with my eyes wide open.

And I made a mistake.

Zigged when I should have zagged.

It happens.

     _Not with me._

What, is there some 

Time Lord superpower I don’t know about

that makes us mere mortals infallible?

     _You know what I mean._

     _Next time, it could be worse_

     _than a bump on the head._

Don’t say it.

     _I have a du-._

And there it is.

     _You don’t like me saying it._

Or thinking it.

     _Why?_

I’ve never asked you to keep me safe.

Never. 

I keep telling you.

     _But you did._

When?

     _After you lied to Danny._

When?

     _Orient Express._

     _You said he was fine with us travelling._

     _You said I just had to promise to_

     _bring you home safe._

     _And you’d stay with me._

…

I didn’t mean it literally.

Figure of speech.

For Danny’s benefit.

I didn’t mean safe-safe.

     _I’m worried about you._

     _I can’t help it._

     _You don’t know what_

     _duty of care means to me._

Is that why you left me

and disappeared?

Doctor, don’t you want to

travel with me anymore?

Because you’re worried about me?

     _Of course I want to travel with you._

     _But yes I worry about you._

I read Amy’s memoir, you know.

     _What memoir?_

The one she tried to publish 

in the 1970s.

     _Why have I never heard of this?_

UNIT confiscated the manuscript.

Read it in the Black Archive.

     _Clara, when do you go_

     _to the Black Archive?_

When I’m bored.

     _That’s not why I got you access._

     _I don’t like you hanging out there._

     _There are things I’d rather you_

     _not know about._

What, because you might be embarrassed?

     _No, for the sake of your sanity._

     _Plus, some of my companions …_

     _it didn’t end well for them._

I know.

But I’ve learned a lot.

     _Too much._

Anyway, Amy wrote how you…

…Bow Tie-you…

left her and Rory Williams behind

after some visit to a weird hotel went badly.

You felt it was too dangerous for them.

You disappeared for a long time.

     _I should never have come back._

     _Amy and Rory got Weeping Angel’d._

     _I could never see them again._

I never understood why.

Neither could Amy.

Especially since River had no trouble.

     _There is a reason I avoid cemeteries._

     _Too complex to go into here._

So are you Amy and Rory’ing me?

Benching me for my own good,

whatever the hell my own good is?

     _I should._

     _You deserve a life, Clara._

     _I told you at the Drum._

     _You spend too much time with me._

     _You need another relationship._

Doctor, you are thick sometimes.

Haven’t you been paying attention?

I am in a relationship.

     _Really?_

     _Congratulations!_

     _I hope he’s a good sort like Danny._

Doctor, don’t you know…

     _You should invite me around for tea._

     _I’ll park the TARDIS outside._

     _You don’t need to tell him about me._

     _Or tell her._

     _Just say I’m an old friend._

Doctor! Stop, it’s y-

     _I hope they can keep up with you._

     _That whip-sharp mind of yours!_

     _You even managed to_

     _win that argument with Gandhi..._

DOCTOR!

     _What?_

Doctor, I …

…

…

Never mind.

This psychic paper is

giving me a headache.

I want to go somewhere with you.

Somewhere nice.

     _Somewhere nice._

     _I can’t promise somewhere safe, Clara._

I’d never ask you to

make a promise you can’t keep.

I miss you and five weeks is long enough

for either of us to be alone.

     _What about your new..._

     _Want them to come along?_

     _Won’t they miss you?_

Don’t worry, Doctor.

He’ll know exactly where I am.

I promise.


End file.
